Il ponte dei sospiri

Probably made to capitalize on the success of " I boia di Venezia" (1963) ,in which Lex Barker was also the son of the doge ,falsely accused and thrown into jail :the visite to the Piombi is de rigueur: They were the prisons of the Venice Republic, located inside the Doge's Palace. The name, 'lead' in Italian, refers to the lead covering the roof. In the winter season, this caused the cold to filter through; in the summer time, it attracted the heat. Not a nice place to be!"Il ponte dei sospiri" (bridge of sighs) borrows some elements from Alexandre Dumas and his "comte de Monte Cristo" : the tunnel which ends up to another cell ,the revenge .This must be the third version of this story,including a silent one .

Although Gianna Maria Canale is at the top of the bill , her screen presence does not exceed thirty minutes ;it's her last movie and it's for her you would watch this hackneyed swashbuckler ; she was only 37 when she gave up the movies ,probably sick and tired of the never-ending parts of a treacherous beauty ,though ,in this film,she has extenuating circumstances,being several times subject to blackmail ; nicknamed the Italian Ava Gardner ,she wouldn't arguably get old on the screen.

The cast is almost entirely Italian ,with the exception of American Brett Halsey ( less dashing than Lex Barker) and French earnest thespian Jean Murat cast as his doomed father .The cast and credits ,with ancient pictures ,promise more than the film delivers ,but the music is tuneful and the duels are successfully directed ;and apart from Canale, there are three other gorgeous ladies.